


Little Star

by KristenElizabeth



Series: The Ever After [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Breastfeeding, Childbirth, Cute Kids, Domestic Fluff, Flashbacks, Force Ghost(s), Force-Sensitive Finn (Star Wars), Force-Sensitive Poe Dameron, Hurt/Comfort, Infertility, Major Character Injury, Pregnant Sex, Sexy Times, The Force, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22517464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KristenElizabeth/pseuds/KristenElizabeth
Summary: The shift in the Force was so small at first that Rey didn't even notice it for days.But one morning, two months after she and Poe were married, Rey woke from a deep sleep with the strangest feeling that something had changed.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Series: The Ever After [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626385
Comments: 41
Kudos: 176





	1. Little Star

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Characters contained within do not belong to me.
> 
> Notes: I thought that when I finished writing "The Shape of You" that the characters would stop speaking to me. They didn't. This is a follow-up piece to that story, but hopefully it can stand alone. And there will be more coming. I very much hope you enjoy.

****

  
“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.”  
― Zelda Fitzgerald

  
****

  
The shift in the Force was so small at first that Rey didn't even notice it for days. 

  
Life went on as usual--she trained, sometimes with Poe, sometimes on her own, she helped work on the house they would soon move into together, she and Poe visited their friends, had dinner with his father, and fell into bed every night, wrapped up in each other. 

  
But one morning, two months after she and Poe were married, Rey woke from a deep sleep with the strangest feeling that something had changed. 

  
Her first instinct was to look at her husband. Lying next to her in the dark, he was fast asleep, his face peaceful and his chest rising and falling with even breaths. 

  
Rey smiled softly. Watching Poe sleep was one of the best ways to cope with her nightmares, her moments of anxiety, and the memories of the war that still haunted her. Often, he was so deeply asleep that he didn't even realize when Rey lifted his arm and crawled next to his body. Unconscious, Poe would just pull her closer; she would rest her head on his shoulder and try to relax. 

  
But that night, Rey sat up in bed and the covers pooled around her waist. As the evening air had been warm, she'd worn a sheer, white shift to bed; but now she found herself shivering. Looking over at Poe, she contemplated seeking out the heat of his body, but she didn't want to disturb him. Building their new house with his father left him exhausted at the end of the day. She wanted him to get all the rest he could. 

  
Carefully sliding out of bed, Rey wrapped herself in short robe made of soft material. Tying it at her slender waist, she left the bedroom and headed for the kitchen.

  
After pouring herself a glass of iced fruit tea from the pitcher in the stasis unit, she walked into the small living area and sat on the plush divan, tucking her bare legs up underneath her. 

  
She took a sip of her tea, but it tasted wrong. Making a face, Rey spat it back into the glass and frowned. How could it have gone bad? She had just brewed it the day before.

  
As Rey started to stand up to take the glass back to kitchen, the strange feeling that had woken her suddenly returned. Something was wrong. She lowered herself back down and pressed her hand to her stomach. Was she coming down with an illness? She couldn't tell, but her energy was...off. Different. 

  
Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate, to see if she could sense the problem.

  
"When it was my time, I felt it, too."

  
Rey's eyes slowly opened. She knew that voice anywhere. Feminine, but slightly rough after a lifetime of battles and struggles. Kind without being soft. 

  
A smile turned up the corners of her lips. "Master," she whispered. 

  
It should have shocked her to see the ethereal blue echo of Leia Organa standing across from her, but Rey had always felt that her last glimpse of her Jedi masters on Tatooine wouldn't be the last time she saw them. Still, she had always thought that moment would come during a future fight or a moment of crisis.

  
With her hand still on her stomach, Rey blinked and clutched her robe. "Why are you...?" She swallowed. "Your time...? Am I..." Unable to say the word "dying," she just shook her head. "What's wrong with me?"

  
The older woman just smiled again. "Absolutely nothing." 

  
"No, there is something," Rey insisted. "I can feel it. The Force within me...it's shifted." 

  
Leia nodded. "Yes. And if you look deep within yourself, you'll understand why." 

  
At her former master's bidding, Rey closed her eyes again, focusing even harder. The Force was in everything. She knew how to use it, how to bend it to her will, and she knew the way it flowed through her. But as she concentrated, she could feel another presence within her. Another life force.

  
When Rey gasped out loud, Leia moved sat down next to her and covered her pupil's hand with her ghostly one. "I know. This is a moment you will never forget." 

  
Her lashes dark with unshed tears, Rey opened her eyes. "A baby..." 

  
"You weren't expecting this?" Leia asked. 

  
"Poe and I...we've talked about children...we said we would wait until it was...it was the right time." 

  
"The right time can sometimes find you, not the other way around." She paused. "Ben wasn't planned."

  
"He wasn't?"

  
Leia shook her head. "I had just started training with Luke. Han and I were newlyweds; we had never discussed children at all. I had obligations and responsibilities...it was not the right time. But then I felt him. Ben...already such a strong presence, growing stronger every day," she continued. "And everything else in my life suddenly had to fit around a new reality."

  
Rey's chin quivered just slightly upon hearing his name. The wound that his death had left upon her was healed, but still sensitive.

  
"Rey," Leia said softly. "What's troubling you?"

  
Standing up, Rey paced a couple of steps, her arms crossed over her stomach. "Master..." She hesitated. "You had a mother."

  
"Two. One who gave birth to me and one who raised me."

  
Rey nodded at the wall, her back to Leia. "I barely remember mine. Ben told me once...that she was a junk trader. That she'd sold me to pay a drinking debt." 

  
Leia lowered her eyes. "My son was capable of great cruelty." 

  
"I think he might have been protecting me," Rey said, turning back around. "From knowing something about my family that I wasn't ready to know yet--something he sensed about who I am. My mother was killed trying to protect me."

  
"Yes," Leia said. "From your grandfather."

  
"But whatever her reasons...she left me alone. She left me behind." 

  
"Rey..."

  
Still holding her stomach, Rey cut her off. "I don't know how to be a mother. The closest I have ever had was you." 

  
Leia stood up. "Rey, my mother was loving and kind and patient....the sort of role model for motherhood that everyone should have." She paused. "Even so, I still raised a son who turned his back on the light, who did unspeakable things, who wielded his power to hurt and destroy, who killed..." She stopped. 

  
"Ben was manipulated," Rey said softly after a moment.

  
"Ben made terrible choices," Leia reminded her. "Even though you helped him find his way back to the light, that doesn't change what he became. Nor the fact that I failed him." 

  
"Master, you didn't..."

  
Leia held up her hand. "Ben is at peace. That's all I ever wanted."

  
Rey let out a breath she'd been holding in. She had only seen Ben once since he gave his life for hers. True to his word at the time, he'd never appeared to her again. "Did you know that he and I were connected?" 

  
"From the moment I met you." Her former master stood up and walked to her. "Thank you for saving him from himself. For loving him." Leia smiled. "That is how I know you will be a wonderful mother, Rey. You saw the good in my son when his own family...when I had given up on him." 

  
Lowering her arms, Rey looked down at her flat belly. She hesitantly touched it. There was no curve, no firmness, nothing to indicate the incredible change that had happened, save for the feeling that she was no longer alone in her own body. 

  
And something else. A warmth that started in her heart, but gradually radiated out to every part of her body. Love. An intense, protective, all-consuming love for the child she and Poe had created. 

  
She looked up at Leia. "How did you tell Han about Ben?" 

  
Leia laughed. "Han wasn't good at subtlety, so I just told him out right. 'You're going to be a father'. I always wished I could have taken a picture of his face."

  
"But he was happy?"

  
"Once the shock wore off." She sighed. "Han wasn't a perfect father, but he loved Ben. He taught him to fly; he showed him how to shave." Leia was quiet for a moment. "I hope Ben remembered that in the end." Shaking out of her thoughts, she looked at Rey. "Poe will be an amazing father." 

  
Rey's eyes were shiny with tears. "He will be." 

  
"Go. Wake him up." Leia held out her hand. Although Rey couldn't take it, she reached for it, letting her fingers pass through the older woman's palm. "Savor every moment of this with him." 

  
"Thank you," Rey whispered. "I miss you."

  
Leia inclined her chin. "The Force will be with you, Rey. As am I." With a final smile, she faded away, leaving only the lingering memory of her presence behind. 

  
****

  
Back in the bedroom, Poe had rolled onto his stomach. One hand lay across Rey's pillow, as if he had reached out to hold her in his dreams. 

  
Shrugging out of her robe, Rey approached the bed and knelt down on the mattress next to his body. She gently brushed his dark hair back from his forehead. "Poe?" she whispered.

  
He made a grunting noise, but didn't move. Rey shifted her body so she could lie next to him. "Wake up..."

  
Poe frowned, but cracked an eye open. "Rey?" When he realized she was watching him, he lifted his head from his pillow. "What's wrong?" Still half asleep, he pushed himself up, blinking rapidly to clear away the haze. "Are you okay?"

  
Rey nodded as she sat up again. "I'm fine." 

  
He frowned again, rubbing his stubbled cheek. "Is it my dad?"

  
"No, I..."

  
"Finn?" Poe guessed.

  
"Poe, it's not..."

  
"Chewie??" 

  
"I'm pregnant," Rey blurted out.

  
Poe blinked. "Chewie is pregnant?" 

  
"What?" Rey shook her head. "No, Poe, no. I'm pregnant! Me."

  
She could understand now why Leia had wanted a picture of Han's face. As Poe stared at her, she could actually see the color draining away. Shocked didn't even begin to describe it.

  
"Rey." He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "How do you..."

  
"I can feel him. Or her." Rey watched him closely, searching for any signs of panic. "I'm still trying to process it, too."

  
Poe's gaze slipped down to her stomach. "You're pregnant..." 

  
She nodded. "And I know we didn't plan this, but..." 

  
He cut her off by grabbing her up and squeezing her tightly. Almost immediately, he thought better of it and released her. "I didn't hurt you, did I? Or the baby?"

  
"We're fine. Poe..."

  
"We..." he repeated. A wide grin light up his face. "Rey, we're having a baby!!" 

  
Her smile was slower, but no less bright. "We are." 

  
Poe reached for her again, gentler this time, capturing her lips in a long kiss as he carefully guided her back to the mattress. Breaking the kiss, he looked down at his wife. "Thank you."

  
She reached up, touching the hair at his temple. "I haven't done anything yet." 

  
"For everything you will do," he said. Scooting down a bit, Poe kissed her belly and laid his head directly over where their child grew. She ran her fingers through his hair. "Thank you for making me a dad." 

  
After a long moment, Rey urged him up until she could see his face again. "I love you," she whispered. 

  
He didn't need to say it back. The urgency of his kiss said it for him. 

  
Later, as Poe held his wife in his arms, their hearts pounding in time as the pleasure faded and sleep loomed over them both, he closed his eyes and concentrated on Rey's body. 

  
She had taught him much about the Force in the time they had been together, how to sense it, how to use it. He wasn't the greatest of students, but he had never had motivation like this before.

  
He was about to give up when he felt it. A small bit of Rey that wasn't entirely Rey. His child, safe and thriving inside her. 

Opening his eyes, Poe looked at his sleeping wife. "I love you both."

  
****

  
TBC


	2. Grandpa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We can't wait forever to tell him." Rey touched her belly, feeling the small, but firm curve, proof that their baby was thriving. "It won't be long before I can't hide it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Characters contained within do not belong to me.
> 
> Notes: Fluff, fluff, everywhere... Enjoy:)

****

  
"When I saw you, I fell in love, and smiled because you knew."  
\-- Arrigo Boito

  
****

  
"We're not going."

  
"We are going."

  
"Rey..." Seated behind his wife, Poe shook his head firmly. "I'm making a command decision. We are not going."

  
Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at him. "Why do you get to make command decisions?"

  
"Well...for one thing, I'm older." Poe held up one finger. "Two, he's my father," he continued, adding a second finger. 

  
Before he could think of a third reason, a fresh wave of nausea struck. Poe acted just in time to hold her as she retched over the metal bowl. Rubbing her back slowly, he waited for the moment to pass. Outside the bath's door, BB-8 rolled back and forth, worriedly.

  
Pale, clammy and shaky, Rey eventually leaned back against his body. "We need to go," she said, her voice raw. "We've already cancelled dinner with him twice."

  
"I know." Wrapping his arms around her, Poe kissed her temple. "But he will understand. Especially once he knows." 

  
"We can't wait forever to tell him." Rey touched her belly, feeling the small, but firm curve, proof that their baby was thriving. "It won't be long before I can't hide it." 

  
"We will tell him soon," Poe said, covering her hands with his. "But not tonight, love." 

  
She sighed in defeat. "How long is this going to go on?" She indicated the metal bowl with a wave of her hand.

  
"I don't know," he said, kissing the side of her head again. "I'm so sorry."

  
Rey nodded. "I should cook dinner for you. Let you get...food poisoning just to...see what it..." The mere mention of food was enough to bring back the nausea and send her hurtling back to the bowl. 

  
Poe shifted in order to kneel behind her again. Helpless to do anything else, he smoothed the damp tendrils of hair off her face and murmured soothing words. When the bout of sickness passed, he looked at BB-8 who extended him a small cloth. After running it under cold water, Poe knelt back down next to her. 

  
She closed her eyes when he gently pressed it to her forehead and her neck. "I really wish you didn't have to see this."

  
"In sickness and in health," he reminded her of their vows. 

  
Rey leaned back against him again. "I suppose it is your fault." 

  
Poe smiled, rested his chin on the top of her head. "You know, I'm fairly certain that I know when this happened..."

  
"Oh, are you?" 

  
"Mm-hmm. And as I recall, you were the one who started things that night." 

  
Rey twisted her head to look up and back at him. "You can't possibly know the exact day. I don't know it exactly!"

  
"I said was fairly certain," he laughed.

  
"And you think I seduced you?" 

  
Poe kissed her nose. "It wouldn't have taken much," he admitted. 

  
Nestling back into his arms, Rey was quiet for a long moment. He thought she had fallen asleep, which she desperately needed to do, but then she spoke. "We'll tell him tomorrow. No matter what." 

  
He looked down at her face, watching as her eyelids grew heavier until she could no longer keep them open. "Tomorrow," he agreed. Leaning against the wall, his wife curled against his body, Poe settled in for another night on the floor of the bath. 

  
****

  
The next day, Rey felt a bit better, although still a bit weak and a bit dehydrated. Water was about the only thing her stomach would accept, so before they walked the half-mile from their new house to Kes's, Poe sent word to his father that they were coming for a visit, not for dinner. 

  
BB-8 rolled beside them, sticking as close to Rey's legs as possible, her protector from the moment they'd told him she was expecting a baby.

Kes greeted them at the door. "Come in, come in." As Rey passed by him, smiling weakly, Kes frowned and looked at his son. Poe quickly followed his wife inside, avoiding his father's eyes.

  
Rey took a seat on the softest of the couches in the living quarters and Poe perched on the edge next to her, ready to spring up to help her at a moment's notice. 

  
"Can I get you something to drink?" Kes asked. "Rey, I've got that fruit tea you like."

  
Suddenly even paler than she had been upon their arrival, Rey shook her head. "No." She managed to add a strained, "Thank you." 

  
Poe took a deep breath. "Dad, I'm sorry we had to cancel yesterday."

  
"It's fine," Kes said, waving away the apology. "I admit, I did like it better when you both lived just on the other side of the property, but I understand."

  
"See...there's something we need to..." 

  
All of a sudden, Rey stood up. "I'm sorry!" 

  
Poe was on his feet in a heart beat. "Fruit tea?" She nodded, her hand to her mouth. Without another word, she ran from the room, BB-8 hot on her heels. 

  
When she was gone, Poe plunged his fingers into his hair. "So, Dad..." He tried to smile, but there was too much concern in his eyes. "We're having a baby."

  
The worry lines on his father's forehead relaxed. His chin dropped to his chest in relief. "Of course...I should have guessed." He approached his son and pulled him into a short, tight hug. "Ah, Poe. This is..." Kes couldn't speak for a second. "I wish your mother was here. She'd know what to say." 

  
Drawing back, Poe nodded. "Me, too, Dad." 

  
Kes held onto his son's shoulders and squeezed gently. "This is the best news I've had since the day Shara told me we were expecting you." 

  
Poe swallowed heavily. "Yeah?" 

  
"Hands down." 

  
"Thanks, Dad." Clearing his throat, Poe pointed at the hallway Rey had disappeared down. "I should..." 

  
His father stepped back. "Absolutely." Unable to suppress a grin, he watched his son race off to be his wife.

  
Sinking into a chair with a sigh, Kes looked up at the ceiling. "You'd say you were too young to be a granny, Shara." He crossed his arms with satisfaction. "But I think I'm just about the right age to be a grandpa." 

  
****

  
TBC


	3. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We're almost four months in," Rey reminded him, tugging on her boots. "Isn't that when you're allowed to tell everyone?"

****

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."  
\-- Helen Keller

****

Flying supplies from Yavin 4 to a planet in the Colonies that was still recovering from being occupied by the First Order wasn't the most glamorous of jobs, but after two months stuck at home, battling all-day morning sickness, Rey was just relieved to be well enough to fly. 

In addition to Poe, Rose and Finn had also signed on for the assignment. As they packed for the trip, Rey and Poe debated whether it was time for their secret to go public. 

"We're almost four months in," Rey reminded him, tugging on her boots. "Isn't that when you're allowed to tell everyone?"

"It's not a hard and fast rule." Poe slung his utility belt over his shoulder and fastened it across his chest. "Maybe just another couple of weeks?" 

Rey stood up and approached him. "It's Finn." She took both of his hands in hers and entwined their fingers. 

"I know," her husband sighed, his expression guilty.

"We should have told him already." Poe nodded. "So, what's the matter?" Rey asked.

"I don't know. Just something feels..." He shook his head and brought her hands up to his mouth, to kiss her knuckles. "It's nothing. We'll tell them today." 

****

Finn and Rose met them at the space dock where the cargo ship that had been reserved for the mission was waiting. Rey would have rather flown the Falcon, but Chewie currently had it and she wasn't entirely certain when he'd be bringing it back. She wasn't inclined to ask, either. 

"Good morning," Rose greeted them with a smile. "See, I told you they'd both come," she gloated, elbowing her husband.

"You thought we wouldn't come?" Rey said as they walked up the ramp into the ship. Poe's hand remained firmly on her lower back, as if he was afraid she would slip and fall. 

"Well...I mean, we haven't seen you in weeks," Finn defended himself. "I figured we'd get stuck with Poe, but not you." 

As Poe headed for the cockpit, shooting Finn an up-turned finger, and Rose started on her checklist, making sure everything that had been requested had been loaded up, Rey quickly hugged her best friend. "I'm sorry I haven't been around lately." 

"You're feeling okay?" he asked, looking her up and down. "Poe said you had a bug."

She smiled. "I'm fine. Don't I look fine?"

"Actually, you look..." Finn searched for the right word. "Brilliant." 

A blush spread across her cheeks. "Yeah?" 

"Yeah. There's something different about you."

Rey hesitated. "Well..."

Finn snapped his fingers, cutting her off. "I know what it is!" 

"You do?" she asked, her heart in her throat. 

He nodded with confidence. "You changed your hair." 

Rey let out a breath, unsure if she should be relieved or exasperated. "Yeah. That's it. My hair." Taking a few steps backwards, she called out, "Poe? Are we ready to fly yet?" 

****

The colony to which they'd brought the supplies had been built on the edge of a large lake. That evening, once the supplies had been delivered to the very grateful colonists, the four friends found themselves invited, as guests of honor, to a celebratory bonfire on the lake's shore. 

The colonists didn't have much, but their sense of hospitality was second to none. The two couples ate and drank what was offered, but no more than was polite. The First Order had stripped the planet of every natural resource and after almost two years, it had only just started to spring back to life--none of them could bear to take food away from the people who really needed it. 

But only Rose noticed Rey immediately pass Poe the large jug of home-brewed ale when it was offered to her. 

Leaning back against Poe in a pose that had become second nature after so many sleepless nights in the bath, Rey watched the fire, searching the flames as if she could see the Force with them. 

Sitting beside her husband with her head on his shoulder, Rose's smile faded as she caught the smallest of moments--Rey's hand resting on her belly for just a fraction of a second too long. 

Moving closer to Finn, Rose wrapped her arm around his; he instinctively pulled her closer. 

"This is nice," Rose said, breaking the silence. "I don't think we've all been together since, well, since your wedding."

Tearing her stare away from the fire, Rey turned her head just a bit to look up at her husband. "That's true." They looked at each other for a long moment, as if silently deciding something. Eventually, Rey sat up a bit straighter, her movement making Poe do the same. "There's actually something we need to tell you." 

Rose bit her lip, worry creasing her forehead, and looked at Finn as he waited for Rey to go on. 

Hand in hand with Poe, Rey took a deep breath and blurted out, "We're having a baby." 

Of all the reactions she'd pictured their best friend having to this news, Rey had not imagined that Finn would be horrified. Surprised, yes. Maybe even shocked. But not upset. 

And Rose. Although she wasn't as close to Rose as other former Resistance members, Rey had expected her to at least be happy. But Rose wasn't even looking at her; she was focused solely on Finn, covering his hand with hers, kissing his shoulder. 

Poe looked back and forth between the two of them. "We're having a baby," he tried again, hoping for a better reaction. 

"That's...it's great," Finn finally replied, swallowing heavily, his voice far from excited. "Really, really great. It's great, right, Rose?" 

She inclined her chin. "It is. Great." 

Rey's face, so joyful a moment earlier, slowly fell. Poe felt for her hand protectively; the lack of reaction from their friends stirred some instinct deep inside, a fatherly impulse that made him want to lash out at anyone who upset his pregnant wife. 

But before he could, Finn stood up. "I'll be right back." 

Poe and Rey watched him go, tears in Rey's eyes, murderous thoughts in Poe's. When he was gone, Poe turned on Rose. "What the hell was that?"

Rose put her hand to her mouth for a second, collecting herself. "I am so sorry," she whispered. "I really am."

"I thought you both would be happy for us," Rey said, her voice small. 

"We are," Rose said, reaching for her cold hand. "I swear, we are."

"But?" Poe prompted her. 

She sighed and was quiet for a long moment. "Poe, how much has Finn told you about his life before he met you?"

"As a..." Poe lowered his voice, as not to be heard by the colonists milling around them. "...Stormtrooper?" Rose nodded. "Not much."

"He was taken as a child," Rey said.

"A very young child," Rose confirmed. "He's not sure how old he was, but he does know what they did to him." She held her hands, palms pressed together, at her mouth for a second. "They took boys and girls. Put them in dorms together, trained them together, treated them as equals in that regard, which would almost be commendable, except..." Letting out a breath, she went on, "They knew they couldn't completely beat the humanity out of them. Inevitably, connections would be made. So...they made sure that...there could never be any consequences." 

"Consequences?" Poe repeated, confused. 

Rose met Rey's eyes, relieved to see that, although horrified, Rey understood. Looking back at her husband, Rey murmured, "Children." 

When it hit him, Poe closed his eyes. "Oh shit..." 

"He told me before we'd even started really dating," Rose said. "Like he was giving me an out or something. And when I didn't go away, he kinda kept me at arm's length for a while." 

Poe swallowed heavily. "I remember. I thought it was...something else." 

"Like Rey?" Rose smirked. 

Rey blinked. "What?"

"So did a lot of people," Rose said, ignoring her. "But he wasn't pining for Rey." 

Before Rey could say anything, Finn approached them. Without a word, he sat back down on the sand beside Rose. Looking at Rey's tears and Poe's anguish, he sighed. "You told them."

"I did. They deserved an explanation." 

"Finn..." Rey reached for his hand. "I'm..."

"No," he cut her off. "I'm sorry." Finn and Rose exchanged a glance. "See, this is why I didn't want to tell them," he sighed.

"I know, I know. But in fairness, I wouldn't have had to if..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Finn reached for Rey's hand and then Poe's. "Okay, look. Let's start again." He looked at Poe, then back at her. "You are both going to be amazing parents and your kid...he's the luckiest kid ever. Or she's the luckiest."

"Any idea on that yet?" Rose asked.

Poe shook his head and replied, his voice hoarse with emotion, "She knows. I won't let her tell me." 

Rose looked at Rey. "The Force? You can do that?" Rey nodded, still looking miserable. 

Finn squeezed her hand. "Can I try?" Looking up and into his eyes for a long moment, she finally smiled. 

Her best friend closed his eyes, concentrating. It didn't take very long before he started grinning. Opening his eyes again, he looked at Poe with a smirk, "Congratulations, papa." To Rose, he added, "I'll tell you later."

Poe frowned. "So everyone will know the sex of my kid but me?"

Rey brushed the last of her tears away. "You can always change your mind." 

"I'm thinking about it," he scowled, pulling his hand away from Finn's.

Still holding on to Finn's hand, Rey quietly asked, "I don't know what to say. Sorry seems...not enough." 

She had questions that she couldn't ask. Was this another facet of Kylo Ren's cruelties? What happened to Finn happened before Ben turned, but had he known? Had he allowed it to continue? Was this particular atrocity thought up by someone much higher up than Ben? 

Was it a mandate set forth by Palpatine himself? 

"You don't have to say anything," Finn said. "Most of us didn't care what they did to us because none of us thought we'd ever live long enough for it to matter. When I met Rose, it suddenly mattered." He lifted his shoulder. "I can't give her kids. It's just something that is--nothing to be done about it." 

Rose hugged her knees. "But that doesn't mean we won't be parents someday." 

Poe reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. "The war left a lot of orphans." He locked eyes with his best friend, silently conveying everything he couldn't say. Remorse, apology, understanding. 

Finn acknowledged all of this with a nod. "When we're ready." 

The four of them fell quiet as the fire roared and the colonists enjoyed the small bit of happiness they had created for themselves and their guests. Rey leaned back against her husband, unable to keep her hands off her belly now that the truth was out. 

Rose nestled into the crook of Finn's arm and he tucked her head under his chin. 

After what seemed like forever, Poe finally blurted out, "All right! Tell me what it is!!" 

****

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a very hard chapter for me to write, but from the moment I thought of it as a possibility, I knew I had to write it. Because this isn't something that gets talked about enough. Trust me; I know. 
> 
> I found out that I can't have children a few years back and it's a grief I live with every day. The hardest days, though, are the ones where I find out that a friend or colleague is expecting. I am always happy for them. I'm not always able to show it right away. 
> 
> Yes, adoption is always a possibility. But I think people don't realize that you grieve for children that never existed much as you grieve for children who were lost before they were born. I actually don't know which is worse--having the joy and losing it or never getting to have that joy at all. What I do know is that you have to move through that pain before you can think about the next steps.
> 
> So, there we are. Back to fluff next chapter:) Thank you all for reading and for all your kind words.


	4. Doctor, Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clearly, Poe was going to be one of the overprotective types--it was good to know that for when it came time to deliver. She liked to be prepared, to give those dads something to do so they wouldn't drive their partners crazy when they needed to be focused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Characters contained within do not belong to me.
> 
> Notes: Thank you so much for reading and for all your kind words!

****

“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” – Maya Angelou

  
****

  
No two days were the same for Dr. Harter Kalonia and it was one of the many things she loved about her job, really, her life's work. Just that morning, she'd set a broken bone for six year old girl who wanted to fly so badly that she'd jumped off the roof of her home, treated two burn victims from an accident at the space yard, and used the latest sonic equipment to break up an older man's kidney stones. 

  
But it was her second to last appointment of the morning that she was looking forward to the most. 

  
As one of the oldest surviving members of the original Rebellion, Harter had seen so many relationships come out of war and defeat and victory. Some had lasted the test of time, some had been tragically cut short by accident or illness, and some had burned bright, only to fade away through time and circumstance.

  
There was no way to tell what the ending would be for the couple waiting for her in the medical centre, but she had a gut instinct that they were in it for the long haul.

  
"Rey? Poe?" Harter gestured them into her exam area. With the practiced eye of a doctor, she watched them as they stood up; Poe had a hold of Rey's arm to steady her, not something she would have thought a Jedi would need, but Rey was letting him, although she did roll her eyes. And, Harter noticed, she was a little unsteady on her feet, probably due to the small, but unfamiliar swelling in her belly. 

  
Closing the door behind them, Harter gestured to the exam table. "Go ahead and lie down, Rey." 

  
She had to smirk as Rey fended off her husband's help. Clearly, Poe was going to be one of the overprotective types--it was good to know that for when it came time to deliver. She liked to be prepared, to give those dads something to do so they wouldn't drive their partners crazy when they needed to be focused. 

  
Once Rey was situated, Harter picked up her scanning device. "So, five months now?" She ran the scanner up and down Rey's body. "It goes fast, doesn't it?"

  
Rey shook her head. "I don't know. The first three months felt like three years." 

  
"Yes, you mentioned the morning sickness. Has that passed?"

  
"Mostly," Poe replied. "Depends on what she eats." Rey threw him a deadly look.

  
Harter bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling as she asked, "What are you eating these days?"

  
"Everything."

  
Rey protested, "Hey! I couldn't keep anything down for three months! I think I've earned it!"

  
"Keep on doing what you're doing in that regard," the doctor told her. "You've gained the right amount of weight for this stage." Rey's look was triumphant; Poe just grinned and held up his hands in surrender. "I'm happy to report..." Harter began, as she studied the readings from her scanner. "That the baby is healthy and thriving." She looked up at them. "Do you want to know the sex?"

  
"Actually, Doc, we already know it," Poe said. 

  
Harter nodded. "Of course. Yes. You would, wouldn't you? You're not the first pregnant Jedi I've examined." 

  
Just then, the communicator attached to Poe's utility belt went off. He looked at Rey who nodded for him to answer. "Go ahead," he said, whipping the device up to his mouth.

  
A staticky voice replied, "Sorry, General. But we've got a situation down at the yard."

  
Poe frowned. "I trust you can handle it, Malcolm."

  
"Think we need someone higher up than me to sort it, sir." 

  
With a sigh, Poe ran his free hand through his hair. "Fine! I'll be there in ten." Closing the channel, he looked at his wife with apology all over his face. "Rey..."

  
"Go," she urged him. "Everything's fine here. Right?"

  
Harter looked up from the notes she was scribbling down when she realized they were waiting for an answer. "Yes. Absolutely."

  
"Okay," Poe gave in. "I'll see you at home," he said after giving Rey a kiss. To the rounded curve of her belly, he added, "Love you both." 

  
"Be safe," she called out to him as he left the room. 

  
Once he was gone, Harter set aside her scanner. Technology was useful, but it couldn't tell her everything, especially with a pregnancy. "Can you lift up your shirt a little, Rey?" When she did, Harter began pressing her fingers at various points, trying to suss out any painful spots or odd lumps. "How are you feeling overall?"

  
"Fine," Rey replied. "Now that I can eat again."

  
Harter smiled. "Have you been training?"

  
Her patient hesitated, but finally confessed, "Yes. Just a bit, though, in the last couple of days. And not with a light saber." She rolled her eyes. "He won't let me." 

  
"Good," Harter said. "I'm sure you already know that being able to sense the baby's life force can be disorientating. It will only get more so, the closer you get to your due date." 

  
Although she nodded her head, Rey's forehead crinkled, like she had a question coming. Harter waited patiently until it came out. "What you said earlier...about a pregnant Jedi..." Rey paused. "Who did you..."

  
"Leia," Harter answered before she finished the question. "I treated Leia when she was pregnant." 

  
The younger woman was quiet again for a long moment while Harter busied herself by taking Rey's pulse. It was slightly elevated. Harter only realized why when Rey asked, "Did you deliver Ben?" 

  
Setting Rey's wrist back down, Harter replied, her voice calm and even after years of practice. "I did." 

  
Although Rey said nothing, her expression screamed for her to go on. Now it was the doctor's turn to hesitate. She knew a bit about how the First Order had fallen, including the fact that Rey had been with Leia's son when he died. Maybe it was only natural that Rey wanted to know more about the child who had become Kylo Ren, the man who had nearly killed her and her friends. 

  
"Seven pounds, eight ounces." Harter reached back into her memories, sifting past the painful ones to recall that happy day. "Full cap of dark hair, right from birth." One corner of her mouth twisted up in a half-smile. "We all agreed he needed a wash and a haircut, but still...such a beautiful baby." Her voice quivered ever so slightly. "He was so loved. His parents...there were such high hopes for him. Maybe too high." Harter's tone became harder. "He broke all our hearts." 

  
Without realizing it, Rey had cupped her hands around her baby bump, as if protecting the child. 

  
Harter shook her head, focusing on her patient. "I'm sorry. That's the problem with old soldiers--once you get them talking about the past, they can't stop."

  
Rey attempted a smile. "It's fine. I wanted to know." 

  
Clearing her throat, Harter indicated that she could pull her shirt back down. "You are good to go, with just two pieces of advice. First, jogan fruit."

  
"Jogan fruit?"

  
"Loaded with pretty much every nutrient you need heading into the third trimester. You can't eat enough of it," the doctor said. 

  
"And second?"

  
Harter smiled. "Let your gorgeous husband spoil you, Rey. I've seen a lot of expectant fathers in my time. Trust me, Poe is a man who will take to parenthood like a fish to water. Indulge him." Rey opened her mouth, but the doctor continued, "Even when you think he is being ridiculous." 

  
Giving in with a smile, Rey slid off the bed. "Thank you, Dr. Kalonia." 

  
The doctor returned the smile. "I'll see you back here in four weeks." 

  
When she was alone again, Harter rubbed her forehead for a moment, composing herself. Talking about Leia, Han and the night their son had been born--it had taken more out of her than she'd realized. 

  
There were such obvious similarities between her long-lost friends and the couple whose baby she would deliver in a few months. A hot-headed pilot. A powerful Jedi. Could they create another Kylo Ren? Would history repeat itself again? 

  
No one could say. So, she decided not to waste any time on trying to answer the question. There was too much work to be done in the present. 

  
Straightening her shoulders, Harter walked to the door and called, "Next?"

  
****

  
TBC


	5. Cravings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey followed his eyes and looked down at her body. In her meditation, she had crossed her legs, but she could barely see them over the protruding mound of her belly. She looked a bit like a round spider who had gotten its legs tangled up underneath itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Characters contained within do not belong to me.
> 
> Notes: Bit of fluff before the next chapter...enjoy!

****

“Happiness is holding someone in your arms and knowing you hold the whole world.”   
\--Orhan Pamuk

****

Deep in the trance of meditation, there was no sound. No temperature. No scents. Everything was dark and still. Free of earthly ties. 

And Rey was weightless. 

"Rey?" 

Frowning as she was jerked back down to reality, the woman in question refused to open her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she reached for that place again, where there were no sensations or restrictions. 

"Rey, where are you?" Poe's voice shattered through the little peace she'd managed to find again. "Are you hungry?"

At this, Rey cracked one eye open, just in time to see her husband enter the bedroom. 

"There you are," he declared. 

Having just come from the space yard where he was tasked with keeping order and ensuring that departing vessels kept to a schedule and incoming ones didn't pose any threat to the colony, Poe was a bit scruffy, but it suited him. His dark curls were mussed, his clothes were a bit dusty and he smelled like fuel and clean sweat--all the things Rey loved about her husband when he came straight from work. 

"Honey, what are you doing?"

Rey followed his eyes and looked down at her body. In her meditation, she had crossed her legs, but she could barely see them over the protruding mound of her belly. She looked a bit like a round spider who had gotten its legs tangled up underneath itself. 

"Meditating," she replied, looking back up at him. "You're home early." 

"Slow day," he replied. "Rey, sweetheart...we talked about this. We said when we got to the seventh month..."

She cut him off with a sigh. "That I'd only meditate if you or BB-8 were in the house, yeah, yeah." 

Poe ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "You go so deep under," he reminded her. "What if something happened?"

Rey challenged him, "Like what?"

"Like..." He searched for an answer. "Like if you fell off the bed." 

She stared at him for a second. "Really? That's the best you could do?"

"Rey..."

"It just sort of happened," Rey defended herself. "I was trying to see if could make a connection with the baby..."

Poe frowned and immediately sat down on the bed next to her. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just not a lot of movement today. I was worried something was wrong, though, so I reached out and then, when I did..." She sighed. "It was just really great, Poe. Nothing hurt or ached...my back, my feet, my chest...I felt like I didn't weigh a thing." 

Putting his hand to her lower back, at the place he knew ached the most, he gently rubbed and murmured, "I'm sorry." 

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I did promise." A few moments passed before Rey spoke again, her voice small. "Poe?"

"What's wrong?"

"I think I'm stuck." 

It took a few seconds of gentle hauling, but eventually Poe was able to get her back onto her feet. "Better?" he said, cupping her cheek and stroking it with his thumb.

Rey nodded, shaking the pins and needles out of her bare feet. "Did you say something about food?" 

"I asked if you were hungry," Poe said. "I take it that's a yes?" Off Rey's look, he chuckled. "Can I shower first?" 

Rey answered him with a long kiss, not an easy feat considering how her expanded stomach kept them from getting as close as they would have liked. "I'll go figure out what the baby wants," she told him. 

In the kitchen, Rey pulled out everything that looked good from the stasis unit. Pickled bilo roots that Chewie had brought back from Lothal, flonut butter (which, when applied to the pickled roots, made Poe gag), micromite pate, and leftover kodari rice. Seeing everything spread out in front of her made Rey's stomach growl loudly. 

Having decided on an omelet of eggs and rice, Rey made her way to the bath to tell Poe. The door was cracked open a bit and steam escaped into the hallway. Without bothering to knock, Rey slid the door open a bit further and peeked inside. 

The shower had been built for two, a decision they had made together; there were no curtains or glass enclosures around the gentle depression in the smooth, rock floor that kept the water from the duel shower heads at bay. 

So there was nothing obstructing the very inviting view of her husband, naked and wet, as he scrubbed the body she adored. 

Sensing her presence, Poe looked up and slowly grinned. "I thought you were hungry." 

Rey crossed her arms over her belly, pulling off her loose shirt. "I am." 

As she made her way to the shower, she shed the rest of her clothes, loosened her hair from its bun and joined him under the hot spray. Poe watched her, appreciating every new curve that pregnancy had given her. Her body had grown lush as the baby grew; he especially appreciated the new fullness of her breasts and proved this by reaching for them with soapy hands. 

She drew in a sharp breath when his thumbs glanced over her sensitive nipples. "Poe..." 

Apologizing, he knelt down to soothe them with soft kisses. Running her fingers through his wet hair, Rey tilted her head back in pleasure. 

Kneeling in front of her, Poe dropped a trail of kisses over her rounded belly. Laying his cheek against the firm mound, he waited for a moment until he felt movement. 

"That's still amazing," Poe said, grinning. "You are so strong," he told the baby. "I can't wait to meet you." When he stood up, there were tears in Rey's eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Her eyes closed as Poe pulled her against his body, kissing her so thoroughly that all she could do was moan and give in to the feeling. She was powerless when it came to wanting Poe--she could never turn him down and, as her pregnancy progressed, could never get enough of him. 

****

Much later, propped up against all the pillows on their bed, Rey dug into a fluffy rice omelet with relish. Poe watched her as he ate his own dinner, smiling at her obvious enjoyment. It was only when she reached for the flonut butter jar that she'd insisted on taking from the kitchen and started to spread it over her omelet that he was forced to set his plate aside.

"What?" she said, innocently. "It tastes good!" 

Poe's look of pure disgust made her laugh. After she polished off her omelet, she stacked her empty plate under his half-full one on the beside table and settled herself against his body, her cheek on his shoulder. Without hesitation, Poe's arm encircled her, surrounding her with warmth. 

"Poe?" Rey eventually whispered. 

Poe combed his fingers through her damp hair. "Hmm?"

"Are you scared?" He shifted in order to look down at her, but she continued before he could ask her to clarify. "About the baby?" 

He was quiet, trying to find the right words. "Yeah," he finally answered, deciding to tell her the truth. "I'm scared of what you're going to have to go through. I'm scared of something happening to you, to both of you." Poe swallowed. "I'm scared I won't be the kind of parent our kid deserves." 

"So am I," she confessed. 

"You will be a great mother," he assured her. 

Rey reached up to touch his face. "And you will be an amazing father." 

"Yeah?" He smiled. "How do you know?" 

Remembering the conversation with Leia the night she'd realized she was pregnant, Rey just lifted her shoulder. "I have it on good authority." 

"It's so close now," Poe said softly. "Eight weeks to go." 

Rey spread her hands over her belly. "And I'm still expanding!" 

"I like you this way," he said, covering her hands with his. "I like you any way you are, but you take my breath away like this."

They held each for a long time, enjoying the closeness, the silence of the house with BB-8 powered down for the evening. 

A loud growl from Rey's stomach shattered the moment. 

Poe was on his feet before she could even ask the question. "Pickled bilo root?"

Rey reached for the flonut butter jar, dissolving into laughter as he left the room, shaking his head in revulsion. 

****

TBC


	6. Unforeseen Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Rey, the rainy season marked another year of being with Poe and signaled the anniversary of the day she'd chased after him from Tatooine. The best time in her life had begun on a typical rainy Yavinese day.

****

  
“Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.”

  
—Emily Dickinson

  
****

  
Dr. Kalonia was the first medic on the scene, having been called to the space yard to tend to an emergency, the nature of which became abundantly clear once she'd arrived. 

  
Heavy winds were a problem on Yavin 4 and, every rainy season, at least one building failed to stand up to them. This time, the wind had blown the roof off the yard's repair station. It had slammed into a ship that was being loaded for take-off and broke into a number of smaller pieces that had hit several people working below. 

  
Only one person had been seriously injured by the falling debris. Despite the rain, a small crowd had gathered around him as Harter arrived, medic bag in hand. 

  
"Let her in!" someone called as she tried to fight her way to the patient. "Move back!"

  
Her patient lay on the ground where he'd fallen, bleeding from a wound to his head. Dropping to her knees--something she knew she'd pay for later--she immediately felt for a pulse, sighing in relief when she felt it, faint though it was.

  
People were still gathered all around them, watching her work. "Is he alive, doc?" she heard one woman say. "He pushed me out of the way...he can't be..." She sniffed loudly and buried her face in someone's shoulder. 

  
"We need to get him to the medical centre," Harter said, delicately probing his wound. "Is there a medical capsule here?" 

  
She heard footsteps in the mud as someone ran to find one. 

  
Harter looked back down at her patient's unconscious face, a face she'd recognized instantly despite the blood. "And someone please...find his wife." 

  
****

  
The rainy season on Yavin 4 was a seemingly-endless stretch, marked by cold spells and high winds, and was utterly reviled by all the colonists who called it home. 

  
All but one.

  
For Rey, the rainy season marked another year of being with Poe and signaled the anniversary of the day she'd chased after him from Tatooine. The best time in her life had begun on a typical rainy Yavinese day. 

  
Sipping the cup of hot tea that BB-8 had brought her, Rey closed her eyes, lost in a memory.

  
_"Have you done this before?"_

  
_Shaking her head against the pillows, she'd wrapped her leg around his, making it clear what she wanted before he could have any second thoughts._

  
_"I'll go slow," he'd promised her. "I won't hurt you, Rey."_

  
The door chime jerked her back to reality. Before Rey could even attempt to get up from her chair, it chimed again. And then again.

  
"BB-8?" she said. "Would you?"

  
The little droid rolled out of the room and a moment later, Rey heard the door open. "Rey?" someone called for her.

  
She recognized Finn's voice and doubled her efforts to stand, although at eight months pregnant, this was no easy feat. When BB-8 finally led Finn into the room, dripping with rain water, Rey was still struggling to get to her feet.

  
Finn immediately rushed to her and, with his help, she was able to stand. "Thanks." Rey rubbed her hand over her belly; it was an unconscious movement that she did a thousand times a day. "I can't possibly get any bigger, Finn. But every time I think that, I..."

  
"Rey," he cut her off, reaching for her hands. "I need you to come with me." 

  
"Why?" For the first time, she was able to take in the tight, pained look on his face. "Finn, what's wrong?"

  
His breath was heavy, like he'd been running. "I'm so sorry, Rey. There's...there's been an accident at the yard."

  
Rey could feel her heart skip a beat. Fear made her throat thick; she tried to swallow, but couldn't. "Finn..."

  
"It's Poe." Their best friend struggled to get out the next words, "He's alive, Rey...but barely." 

  
Her knees buckled, but Finn caught her before she could lose her balance. Holding onto him, Rey tried to keep breathing. Her stomach churned like it hadn't since the first few months of her pregnancy and she very nearly lost control, only narrowly managing to keep herself together.

  
"I need to be with him," she whispered. "Finn?"

  
He was already guiding her out the door, BB-8 hot on their heels. 

  
****

  
Rey and Finn reached the medical centre just behind Poe's father. Having been alerted by one of his neighbors, Kes had dropped everything and ran, in the rain, halfway across the colony to be there. 

  
"Kes!" Finn called, spotting him in the crowd of people milling around the waiting room. 

  
The older man pushed his way over to them. "Finn." He turned his attention to his daughter-in-law. "Rey, honey, what's going on? Where's Poe?" 

  
"We just got here," Finn answered for him. "We don't know."

  
Kes plunged his fingers through his hair. So much like Poe... "There has to be someone around here who knows something." He looked around, trying to find a medic or someone in charge. "C'mon." 

  
With a hand on Rey's upper back, Kes guided her towards the exam rooms. Finn followed them, sticking close to her other side, in case she needed support. 

  
As they passed by a curtained-off area, a voice said, "Rey, you're here." They all turned to see Dr. Kalonia, her khaki shirt spotted with blood. 

  
Rey couldn't keep her eyes off the stains. "Poe?"

  
The older woman nodded. "In here." 

  
Behind the curtain was one of Rey's recurring nightmares. On the medical bed, with a myriad of machines and a couple of medics all around him, was her husband. He was still, perfectly still, his arms at his sides. His eyes were closed and dried blood streaked down his pale face. 

  
"He's alive," Harter said before anyone could ask. 

  
"What happened?" Kes asked. 

  
"Falling debris from the winds. He has a serious skull fracture and there's swelling around his brain. We're prepping him for surgery to relieve that pressure." 

  
Rey nodded, but couldn't speak. Kes cleared his throat. "And that will fix him?"

  
The doctor hesitated. "Every head injury is different."

  
"What does that mean?" Finn asked. 

  
"It means...even if we can relieve the pressure, until he wakes up, there's no way to tell if there will be permanent damage." 

  
Unable to look away from Poe, twin tears slipped down Rey's cheeks. "Can I...can I touch him?"

  
Harter looked at one of the medics who nodded. "Go ahead. But we only have a minute." 

  
Rey took a step towards the bed, her hand on her rounded belly. Approaching Poe's frighteningly still body, she quickly searched for all his familiar features. The shape of his nose, the perfect bow of his upper lip, the very small scar on his right cheek. Her hand shook as she reached out to touch his face. 

  
His skin was warm, but his eyes were closed and no smile turned up the corners of his mouth. She swallowed heavily, fresh tears joining the ones already coursing down her neck. 

  
"Poe," she whispered. "If you can hear me, I'm here. I'm here and I love you." Closing her own eyes, she lowered her lips to his forehead. 

  
_"Are you okay?" He looked down at her; even in the darkness, she could see the concern in his eyes. "Rey...should I stop?"_

  
_The pain was sharp, but entirely bearable, especially since it was accompanied by the amazing sensation of being physically joined. "I'm fine." She slid her palms up his arms, feeling the corded muscles as they held him up over her. "And don't you dare stop..."_

  
"Doctor," one of the medics broke through her memory, bringing her back to the present. "We're ready to go."

  
Harter looked at Rey. "I'll make sure you're updated. I promise." To Kes and Finn, she added, "You make sure she stays calm and off her feet." 

  
Kes reached for Rey, gently guiding her backwards as the medics transferred Poe to a hovering medical capsule. All three of them watched, helpless, as they pushed the capsule towards the main surgery. 

  
****

  
Rose arrived an hour later with enough food to feed the entire hospital. "I didn't know what everyone would like," she apologized. "So you have options." 

  
Finn smiled at his wife. "Angel." 

  
When she offered the basket to Kes, he gave her a nod of appreciation and selected a wrapped sandwich without even bothering to see what it was, more out of politeness than hunger. 

  
But Rey just shook her head when Rose approached her. "Thank you, though."

  
"Rey, you should try to eat," Kes said. "He'd want you to."

  
"Then he can wake up and tell me so," Rey replied, her voice emotionless. 

  
Kes and Finn exchanged a look, neither of them knowing what to say to that. But Rose reached into the basket and pulled out a container of cubed joban fruit. "For the baby," she said softly.

  
Looking down at her belly for a moment, Rey finally nodded and took the container.

  
They ate in silence for a few minutes. The joban fruit was fresh and juicy, but Rey couldn't taste it. She just chewed and swallowed, chewed and swallowed. For the baby. For Poe. 

  
Finally, she couldn't go through the motions anymore and she set the container aside. Just as she did, Dr. Kalonia appeared from around the corner.

  
Everyone lept to their feet except for Rey. Rose, seeing her struggle, offered her hand for leverage. 

  
"He's out of surgery," the doctor told them, getting straight to the point. "We were able to relieve the pressure and bring his vital signs up, but..." She looked at Rey. "He hasn't woken up yet."

  
"Should he have?" Finn asked. 

  
"It would be a good sign," she replied. "The longer he stays under, the more likely it is that there's been damage to his brain. And that could be something simple as memory loss or something more complicated like..." She hesitated. "Well, we can cross that bridge if we come to it. Right now, we just want him to wake up as soon as possible." 

  
Rey took all of this in, as calmly as she could. The entire time Poe had been in surgery, her thoughts had been a jumble of memories, worst case scenarios, and questions. Now, she just had one. "Do you think...I could reach him?" 

  
"With the Force?" Rose asked. 

  
She inclined her chin. "I could heal him. I could..."

  
Finn cut her off. "No. No way." He indicated her belly. "Rey, the kind of strength that would take...you don't have it right now." 

  
"You don't know that," she snapped. "I want to try."

Kes ran his hand down his mouth. "Rey, I'm going to have to speak for my son here and say...I agree with Finn. You can't do this."

Dr. Kalonia nodded her head. "Your baby needs all of your strength right now." 

  
"My baby needs him," she shouted. The shock that had enveloped her suddenly shattered. Her chest rose and fell as she struggled to breathe; tears rolled, unbidden down her cheeks. "He's...I can't...we can't...be without him..." She doubled over, holding her stomach. Finn rushed to her, putting his arm around her for support. "Please let me....I have to try. I can't lose him, Finn. I can't!"

  
"I know...I know," he soothed as she sobbed against his shoulder. "You won't. I promise you." His tone shifted, grew determined. "Because I'm going to bring him back."

  
****

  
TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...yeah. Sorry. Sometimes stories take unexpected turns. 
> 
> But to make it up to you, here is a very hot video of our favorite rebel pilot: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej2pl_zyGRw


	7. Unforeseen Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Can he hear us?" 
> 
> "I don't know," Harter admitted. "Some doctors think so. Personally, I've never had a patient wake up from a coma and remember anything that was said while they were under."
> 
> "Poe is special. If anyone could, it would be him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Characters contained within do not belong to me.
> 
> Notes: Thanks for hanging on, despite the drama. C'est la vie, as they say...

****

  
"A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." 

\-- Mark Twain

  
****

  
On Dr. Kalonia's instructions, Poe was taken from the surgical suite to a recovery room, as far away from the bustle of the main ward as possible. Rey and Kes, Finn and Rose were already there, waiting for him, each of them silent.

  
When the door slid open and a medic guided the floating medical capsule into the room, Rey pressed her hand to her mouth to keep her emotions in check. Post-surgery, Poe was even paler, his normally tanned skin now a chalky color that made her shiver in fear. Someone had tried to clean the blood off his face, but they hadn't been able to scrub it all away. His dark curls were now half-hidden by a large, white bandage that had been wound around his head. 

  
And he was still so frighteningly motionless. 

  
After transferring him to one of the two recovery beds, the medic left, passing Dr. Kalonia as she entered. She immediately went to Poe's side and started checking his vitals. Breaking away from Kes, Rey approached her husband's bed. 

  
"How is he?" she asked, her voice throaty with choked back tears. 

  
"Stable," Harter said. "For the moment." The doctor looked up at Rey. "How are you?" Rey shook her head, but the older woman wouldn't let her off that easily. "The baby is still moving?" 

  
"A lot." Rey looked down at her husband. "Can he hear us?" 

  
"I don't know," Harter admitted. "Some doctors think so. Personally, I've never had a patient wake up from a coma and remember anything that was said while they were under."

  
"Poe is special. If anyone could, it would be him."

  
The doctor reached across her patient to take his wife's cold hand. "Yes, and he's strong. With more to live for than most people. Remember that." 

  
Across the room, Finn tore his eyes away from the body of his best friend and looked down at his wife. There were tears in her eyes; she was trying to hide them by blinking them back, but it was a losing battle. "Rose, I promise you. It's going to be fine."

  
She shook her head. "I want to believe that, but the truth is...you can't really say for sure. Can you?" She brushed her hand across her cheek. "This isn't light saber training or even figuring out the sex of a baby. This is...you're accessing powers that you've never even attempted to reach before." 

  
"I can do this, Rose."

  
"And what if it's too much?" Rose looked up at him through her tears. "If it asks too much of you?"

  
Finn cupped her face in his hands. "If you're thinking what I think you are, this isn't the same. Poe isn't dead like..." He lowered his voice. "Like she was."

  
"What if that doesn't matter?" Rose covered his hands with her own. "I just need you to say...there's a line, Finn...a line you won't cross." 

  
He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her small body. "Rose...it's Poe. I hear you, I do, but I have to try." Finn looked over just in time to see Rey stroking Poe's limp hand. "For both of them." 

  
Leaving Rey to have a moment with her husband, Dr. Kalonia approached Kes. Having known him for over 30 years, since the days of the first Rebellion, she put her hand on his shoulder. "How are you holding up?" 

  
Poe's father swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Hart, he looks like Shara did...the day we lost her." After a second, he asked, "Am I going to lose him, too?" 

  
"I can't answer that, Kes," she said. 

  
He nodded. "That's good." When she frowned, Kes added, "The day Shara died, I asked you the same question...and you said yes." 

  
Harter cleared her throat. "I'm sorry." 

  
"No, don't be. You didn't lie and because of that, Poe and I both got to say what we needed to tell her before she died. I've never really thanked you for that." He kissed her cheek, shocking the unflappable doctor. "Sorry I'm about twenty years late." 

  
"It's...it's fine." Glancing away before he saw the embarrassing blush she could feel coming on, Dr. Kalonia looked back at her patient. "Do you think this can work?" 

  
"It has to," Kes said. "My son survived every horrible thing that Shara and I fought so hard to keep him from having to experience." Looking at Rey, he added, "He deserves to hold his child." 

  
After giving his wife a soft kiss, Finn walked to the other side of the bed, facing Rey across Poe's body. "I'm ready. What do I...?" he trailed off.

  
"The power to heal," Rey started, her voice small, but steady, "comes from the light side of the Force. It's love, in its most basic form."

  
Finn frowned. "I've seen you heal a sand snake. Don't tell me you loved it." 

  
"Compassion is love, Finn."

  
"Okay," he agreed. "So..." 

  
"It won't be hard for you to reach the light within yourself," she told him. "When you find it, project it. Send it into Poe. Picture his wounds and just...erase them." 

  
"Just like that?" 

  
Rey nodded. "I believe in you, Finn. So would he." 

  
With a sigh and a nod, Finn closed his eyes. "Rey," he said, opening them a second later. "How will I know when it's worked?" 

  
"I don't know," she admitted. 

  
"Okay..." Finn blew out a breath. "Here we go." Placing his hand on Poe's shoulder, he closed his eyes and reached out to the Force.

  
****

  
At first, there was nothing. A sharp blow, a sudden burst of pain, and a second of panic was all Poe felt before the darkness enveloped him. 

  
And now, in a place that was halfway between reality and a dream, somewhere between consciousness and eternal sleep, he found himself lost in the moments that had made up his life. 

  
_His mother's hands, soft and strong, covering his small fingers as she guided him through basic maneuvers in her grounded A-wing. "Fly us to the stars, baby!"_

_His father's voice, heavy and hoarse, as he knelt down in front of him. "She's not in pain anymore...we have to remember that."_

  
_His new friend, a man with a designation, not a name, jubilant to have escaped from his hell. "Finn...yeah! Finn! I like that...I like that!"_

  
_His general and teacher, exasperated with him as always. "There are things you cannot solve by jumping in an X-wing and blowing something up!"_

  
_His heart, his Rey, warm and soft beneath him, trembling more than she realized in the moments after their bodies joined for the first time, but trusting him completely. "It's okay. It doesn't hurt anymore. Please...I just...I need you."_

  
"Poe." 

  
He heard the voice, but it wasn't his parents, his friends, or his wife--it was all of them, all at once, calling to him. 

  
"Poe, it's time to wake up." 

  
But could he? Did he want to? The ones he'd lost were alive here; the ones who were alive would never leave him. 

  
"This isn't the end, Poe." Leia, her voice rough, but kind. 

  
"Baby, there's still so much waiting for you." His mother, forever young. 

  
"Your child." Finn, who might never get such a gift.

  
"Your wife." His father, who would never see the love of his life again. 

  
"Please come back to me." Rey, left behind by almost everyone she'd ever loved. "I love you, Poe. I love you...please don't leave me...I love you..." 

  
"I love you..." Like a sunrise, the darkness began to fade. "I love you, Rey...love you..." 

  
****

  
The chair Kes had pulled up to Poe's bed wasn't the most comfortable thing to sit on, even for someone who wasn't pregnant, but Rey couldn't bring herself to move. That would have required letting go of Poe's hand and she just wasn't prepared to do that. Just in case she never got to hold his hand again.

  
A few feet away in the second bed, Finn slept, watched over by Rose. According to the doctor, there was nothing wrong with him except for extreme exhaustion. There was no way to tell, though, whether he had been successful. He'd never spoken; only minutes after putting his hand on Poe's shoulder, he'd slipped to the ground, unconscious. Only Kes's quick thinking as he darted forward to catch him had kept Finn from cracking his own head open on the floor.

  
Now the two most important people to her lay side by side in medical beds, unresponsive. And she was powerless to help. 

  
When Rey closed her eyes, tears spilled down her cheeks. Deep within her body, she felt the baby kick. Hard. With her free hand, she touched her rounded belly, rubbing it as if she could soothe the child, but the kicking didn't stop. 

  
Wincing, she opened her eyes...and in that very second, Poe's forehead crinkled and his dark lashes lifted. 

  
Rey drew in a sharp, ragged breath. "Poe..." 

  
Still halfway in the darkness, Poe murmured, "Love you...I love you, Rey..." 

  
In the sudden flurry of activity...Kes shouting for Dr. Kalonia, Finn waking up, Rose bursting into tears, Poe trying to sit up, Kes pushing him back down, the medics flooding into the room taking scans...Rey's hand never once slipped from her husband's. 

  
****

  
"I thought I was going to lose you." 

  
Night time in the medical centre was never really quiet, but with Kes having gone home with BB-8 at Poe's insistence and Finn and Rose asleep in the other bed, Rey's admission broke the silence that had fallen over the room. 

  
Poe shifted more onto his side, to make sure she had enough room in the bed that was not built for two. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he could only say, "I'm so sorry, Rey." 

  
Their entwined fingers rested on her belly. The baby was the first thing Poe had asked about...not his own health, but the well-being of her and their child. Only when he'd heard that they were all right would he listen to the doctor explain what had happened in the space yard, how severe his injuries had been, what had been done in surgery to fix him, and how--through means that she left Finn and Rey to explain--there was no longer any sign of injury and, more importantly, any brain damage. And although Dr. Kalonia insisted that he and Finn stay the night for observation, it was like the accident had never happened. 

  
He might have believed it was all a dream except for the dried blood in his hair and the anguish he could see in Rey's eyes. 

  
"And I couldn't do anything," she went on. "I couldn't bring you back." 

  
"Honey," he said, nuzzling his nose against the back of her neck. "I never wanted to scare you like that." 

  
She was quiet for a long moment. "Most of the people I've loved, I've lost. My parents, Leia...him..." Rey twisted her head in order to see him. "You are the one loss I don't think I could survive." 

  
Poe lifted himself up on his arm to look down at her. "You underestimate yourself." Off her doubtful look, he squeezed her fingers, pressing them firmly against her belly. "Besides...you wouldn't have been alone." 

  
"You would have had me." From the other bed, Finn's voice startled both of them. Poe twisted a bit in order to see him. "And Rose and Kes," Finn went on. "You're never alone." 

  
Stretching his hand out, Poe smiled when Finn took it. "Listen to the wise Jedi, Rey." 

  
They stayed like this, their hands forming a chain, throughout the night.

  
****

  
TBC


	8. Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Babies have their own schedule," Dr. Kalonia told the very worried couple. "This little one isn't ready to make an appearance yet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Characters contained within do not belong to me. Well, except for one... 
> 
> Notes: One more chapter to go! Thank you so much for sticking around:)

****

  
"Making the decision to have a child—it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body."  
\-- Elizabeth Stone

  
****

  
The day that Dr. Kalonia predicted the baby would arrive came and went. 

  
"It would be weird if it happened on the exact day," Poe said. "Just relax; it's going to happen soon." 

  
"I can't get any bigger," Rey complained. "Can I? Poe...can I??" 

  
Another day went by. And then, another.

  
"It's okay," Poe soothed, rubbing lotion across his wife's distended belly. "This just gives us time to prepare." 

  
"We've been prepared for weeks," she reminded him. "It's time!" Rey told the baby. "We're ready now!"

  
Yet another day came and went. 

  
"Rey...honey, are you okay?" Lying behind her, Poe kissed her shoulder. "I'm still not sure about this..."

  
She shook her head, clasping his hand at her breast, encouraging him to move within her. "I'm fine. Dr. Kalonia says...this can help." Rey gasped as he tentatively thrust. "Do that again...please..." 

  
Two more days passed. 

  
"Babies have their own schedule," Dr. Kalonia told the very worried couple. "This little one isn't ready to make an appearance yet." She looked back and forth between them. "You've tried what I suggested...?"

  
"Several times," Rey said, her cheeks hot. Poe squeezed her hand. 

  
"If you don't go into labor by the end of the week, we will discuss inducing," the doctor said. "In the mean time, go home and rest. You will need it."

  
That night, Rey woke from a dreamless sleep with a low ache in her back. It was a struggle to silently get out of bed with her rounded belly, but she managed to not wake Poe. After visiting the bath, she made her way to the kitchen for a glass of jogan juice, trying to rub the ache away. 

  
On full alert ever since her due date had come and gone, BB-8 followed her as she started back to the bedroom. 

  
The pain came out of nowhere, so sudden and severe that Rey dropped her glass. It shattered on the floor around her feet as she clung to the wall to keep from falling.

  
Torn between staying with her and getting Poe, BB-8 opted for help. He rolled into the bedroom, but Poe was already scrambling out from under the covers, having been awakened by the sound of broken glass. 

  
He found his wife in the hallway, in the middle of a field of glass shards, one hand on her belly, the other on the wall for balance. Her face was screwed up in pain. 

  
"Rey?" he asked. 

  
She answered the unspoken question, her teeth clenched. "I think it's time." 

  
****

  
The medical centre's delivery room was little more than a private room with a wide, birthing bed and a large tub that could be used if the mother-to-be decided that a water birth was best for her.

  
Rey had opted out of that. She liked water, but wasn't sure she found it relaxing enough to give birth in. 

  
So, twelve hours into labor, she found herself on her side in the medical bed, breathing through the latest contraction.

  
As she had held his hand in the aftermath of the space yard accident, Poe held onto hers, guiding her through the pain.

  
"Breathe, honey," he murmured. "Squeeze my hand and breathe." 

  
She did as he asked, hard as she could. Poe tried not to wince; his wife was doing really well about not blaming him for the pain she was in, but he had a feeling that wouldn't last if she saw that he couldn't take a little crushing pressure on his fingers. 

  
"Good," Poe squeaked. She couldn't speak, but nodded.

  
After another minute, the contraction eased and Rey's entire body visibly relaxed. She opened her eyes and looked up at Poe. 

  
"That one was the worst so far," she whispered. 

  
Poe kissed her damp forehead. "I'm so sorry..." 

  
"You're doing really well, Rey," Dr. Kalonia said, approaching the bed. "I'm just going to check to see where we are. Poe, help me get her onto her back." 

  
While the doctor determined how far along things were, Rey looked up at the ceiling, blinking back tears. Poe watched her, wanting to ask what she was thinking, but it didn't seem the right time, with the doctor examining her. 

  
"Good news," Harter said a moment later. "You're at seven centimeters. Almost there, Rey." She looked at Poe. "But we're getting to the really difficult time now. The contractions are going to get stronger and more frequent as we head into active labor. This is the point where she is going to need you more than ever." 

  
Running his hand through his messy curls, Poe assured her, "I'm not going anywhere." 

  
"Good man. By the way, you have a few people out there who are all very anxious about what's going on." The doctor smiled. "Shall I update them?" Poe looked at Rey who nodded. "I'll be back to check on you in a little while," Harter said.

  
When she was gone, Poe sat down in the chair next to the bed. "Honey...do you want some ice?" Shaking her head against the pillow, Rey brushed tears off her cheeks. "Is there anything you do want?" he asked, desperately. "Just name it, I'll make it happen."

  
Rey dragged her lower lip between her teeth, but couldn't stop it from trembling. "I wish my mother was here," she whispered.

  
"Oh honey..." 

  
She lifted one shoulder, dismissively. "Ridiculous, I know. I can barely remember her." She looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "It's just...there isn't anything that ever really connected me and her...until now." Rey spread her hands over her belly. "She went through this to have me. I suppose I just want to know..." Her face crumpled. "Was I worth it?" 

  
"Rey," he asked after a second. "Is our baby worth it?" 

  
Her head lifted. "Absolutely."

  
"Then...even without knowing her, you know what your mother would say." Poe brought her hand to his mouth, turning it over so he could kiss her palm. "It won't be long now. Just hold onto me and we'll get through this." 

  
Rey's eyes flooded with fresh tears. With her free hand, she lovingly stroked the stubble on his cheek. Her fingers fell away as the familiar pain of a fresh contraction gripped her lower belly. 

  
He was ready, shooting to his feet, helping her roll into a better position. "Breathe...in and out..." 

  
****

  
The urge to push came two hours later. With Poe sitting behind her, supporting her by holding onto both of her hands, Rey bore down as hard as she could.

  
"And relax!" Harter said from between her legs. "I can see the head. You're doing brilliantly." 

  
Poe kissed her ear. "You amaze me, honey. Almost there." 

  
Rey let her head flop back onto his shoulder, but it was only another moment before she wanted to push again.

  
"Push, Rey..." she heard the doctor say.

  
It all happened in a blur. Burning, stretching pain. A scream she couldn't smother. Poe's voice in her ear, whispering encouraging words; his fingers entwined with her tense ones. The earthy scent of blood. 

  
Silence. 

  
And then...there she was.

  
Panting for breath, Rey opened her eyes at the sound of the baby's first cry. Dr. Kalonia held her up for them to see, a wide smile on her face. "Meet your little girl." 

  
She was tiny, wrinkled, her grey flesh slowing turning pink, with whisps of dark hair smeared with blood...still, she was the most beautiful thing either of them had ever seen.

  
The doctor placed the squirming infant on Rey's chest, although it was shaking with her sobs. Reaching around Rey, Poe touched his daughter's tiny hand. Instinctively, her delicate fingers wrapped around his much-larger finger. 

  
That was all it took for Poe to fall head over heels.

  
A single tear dripped off his nose. "Welcome to the world," he whispered. "We've been waiting forever for you."

  
****

  
When Kes, Finn and Rose entered the birthing room a half hour later, Rey was sitting up with the freshly cleaned baby curled against her breast. She looked exhausted, but she smiled at the new arrivals. Poe sat on the edge of the bed beside her, watching over both of them; he looked up when he sensed his dad. 

  
Kes hesitated, but Harter put her hand on his forearm. "Go meet your granddaughter, Kes." 

  
Approaching the bed, the older man shook his head in wonder. "She's beautiful. Poe..." He couldn't continue, unable to think of the right words to say to his son at such a momentous moment in his life. He could vividly remember the day when he'd been in the exact same position as Poe, watching over him and Shara--what would he have wanted his father to say in that moment? 

  
But Finn saved him. "What are you going to call her?"

  
Rose rolled her eyes. "I apologize for him," she told the new parents. "We had a lot of time in the waiting room and potential names came up a lot. There were bets taken..." Coming closer to the bed, she clasped her hands together in delight. "Oh, she is the most precious thing ever!" 

  
Smiling, Rey looked down at the baby. "She is..." Glancing back up, she looked at Finn. "We have picked a name."

  
"And?" he prompted. Clearly, some credits had been wagered.

  
Poe cleared his throat. "Well, we wanted to honor Mom," he said to Kes. "But give her a name that was only hers, too." 

  
Kes nodded his head. "Shara would understand that." 

  
Rey adjusted the baby, so everyone could see her little face. "Bria," she said, with no small amount of love and pride. "Bria Bey Dameron." 

  
****

  
TBC


	9. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the moment they'd brought Bria home from the medical centre, Poe had dedicated himself to taking care of Bria and Rey. He woke when Bria woke, sat with Rey while she and Bria struggled to get the hang of breastfeeding, changed diapers, made whatever food struck Rey's fancy, and somehow managed to keep their life, which had completely turned upside down, running smoothly. 
> 
> But a week earlier, the strangest thing had happened.

****

  
"Where thou art, that is home."   
\-- Emily Dickinson

  
****

  
At the end of a journey that seemed like it might never be over, all Poe wanted to do was to go home. After landing at the space yard, he rushed through his post-flight checks, grabbed the speeder he'd left in the yard four days earlier, and sped off with only a wave of his hand at anyone who called out to him. 

  
Spring was in full bloom and the tropical forest around their house was full and lush. When he arrived, Poe grabbed his bag and leaped off his speeder. On his way into the house, he plucked a vivid, purple blossom off the yeerta bush that guarded the entrance. 

  
"Rey?" he called out. "l'm home!" 

  
"In here, Poe." Dropping his bag, but not the flower, he followed the sound of his wife's voice down the hall and into the nursery. 

  
BB-8 stood guard in the corner of the room, but Poe focused on the window where Rey sat in a wide chair, holding their four month-old daughter to her breast. She looked up and gave him the smile that still made his stomach flop. "Look who's home, Bria." 

  
Poe crossed the room and knelt down next to the chair. He touched Bria's petal soft cheek as she nursed. "Has she gotten bigger?"

  
"I don't think so," Rey laughed. After he'd given her kiss, she asked, "How was it?" 

  
"It was..." He shook his head. "Is it okay if that waits for a bit?" Rey frowned. "Nothing bad," he assured her. "Just a bigger conversation."

  
"All right," she agreed. Together, they both watched Bria as her eyes began to droop. "I think she's done. Can you...?" 

  
She didn't need to ask twice. Poe lifted his daughter up and held her to his shoulder while Rey redressed. "You might not be bigger," he told her, rubbing her tiny back. "But you are prettier." 

  
Rey quickly draped a soft cloth on his shoulder, under the baby's chin. "Just in case." Stepping back, she watched them with misty eyes. Dr. Kalonia had once said that Poe would take to fatherhood like a fish to water. As with so many things, the older woman had been absolutely right.

  
From the moment they'd brought Bria home from the medical centre, Poe had dedicated himself to taking care of Bria and Rey. He woke when Bria woke, sat with Rey while she and Bria struggled to get the hang of breastfeeding, changed diapers, made whatever food struck Rey's fancy, and somehow managed to keep their life, which had completely turned upside down, running smoothly. 

  
But a week earlier, the strangest thing had happened. Poe had been summoned to the community centre, a makeshift building that was home to the burgeoning government of Yavin 4. With the population growing every month, the colony was starting to become an actual world and basic structures like laws and law enforcement had become necessary. 

  
Poe expected they would ask him, as a former Resistance general, to head the new enforcement squad. What the colony's governors wanted, however, was much more complicated. 

  
"Is she asleep?" Poe whispered. 

  
Rey checked and smiled. "Just about. Want me to take her?" 

  
Her husband shook his head. "No, I'm good." Kissing the baby's soft head, he added, "I've missed this." Their eyes met; there was a question in Rey's eyes, unspoken because he'd asked for a moment, but still there. Unable to deny her anything, Poe gave in. "Yeah, it's what we thought."

  
Letting out a breath she'd been holding for days, Rey nodded. "And?"

  
"You know I wouldn't make any decisions until I talked to you." 

  
"I appreciate that," she assured him. "But I don't believe for a moment that you haven't already thought about it."

  
"Yeah, sure, maybe a little," her husband acquiesced. With a sigh, he walked to the crib and gently placed Bria down onto the soft mattress. After watching her for a moment to make sure she was really asleep, Poe looked back at his wife. "You haven't?"

  
"I've been a little busy the past few days." 

  
Approaching her, Poe cupped her face in his hands and gave her a long, slow, much more satisfying kiss. "Sorry, honey." 

  
"Don't be," she said, playing with the collar of his shirt. "Maybe I was glad to be busy so I wouldn't have to think about it." 

  
"Yeah." Pulling her to his chest, he wrapped his arms around her. "It's a lot to process." 

  
With her cheek on his shoulder and his chin on her head, they stood like that for a long time, just happy to be together again, with their daughter sleeping peacefully beside them. 

  
Finally, Poe spoke. "Let me take a shower and get us some dinner. Then, I'll tell you all about Coruscant." 

  
****

  
Fresh from his shower, his dark hair drying in gentle curls, Poe fixed Rey's favorite dinner and watched her eat, a smile on his face. One of his greatest joys in life was watching his wife, who had spent most of her life working to get quarter portions of tasteless rations, thoroughly enjoying food he had made for her. 

  
"So, I stayed in this tower of apartments," Poe said, forking up a bite of stew. "Three hundred floors, Rey. I was right near the top and the view was incredible." He chewed and swallowed. "It was so high up that even the traffic was below me." 

  
Rey's eyes were wide. "That's amazing. Like living in the sky!" 

  
"Of course, it's not all glamorous like that," he went on. "The lower levels are...well...not much better than Mos Eisely, except darker, colder and actually less clean, if you can believe that."

  
"I hear there are some levels that are off limits entirely because of how bad they are," Rey said, a hint of excitement at the possibility of a no-man's land deep in the bowels of the galaxy's glittering jewel planet. 

  
"Yeah, but we'd probably live at a much higher level. Maybe not as high as that hotel, but I think they were trying to win me..." Poe stopped when he realized that Rey had set down her fork. Looking up from his plate, he cleared his throat. "Okay," he confessed. "I might have thought a lot about it."

  
The corner of Rey's lips turned up in a wry smile. "Senator Dameron." 

  
He pointed his fork at her. "I haven't said yes." 

  
"But you want to." Rey tilted her head to the side, studying him. "I can feel it."

  
"Mind trick?"

  
"Wifely instinct." 

  
Dropping his fork, Poe reached across the table for her hand. "I don't give a damn about the title or all the perks that come with it. You know that, right?"

  
Rey laced her fingers through his. "I know." She paused. "But..."

  
"But..." He shook his head. "I keep thinking of something Admiral Holdo said." 

  
"We are the spark that’ll light the fire that’ll burn the First Order down?" Rey repeated from the stories she'd heard him tell her about the brave woman who'd given her life to save the Resistance.

  
"Actually...that was me embellishing a bit."

  
Rey's eyebrow arched. "That's not like you." He snorted. "So, what did she actually..."

  
He cut her off. "'We are the spark that will light the fire that will restore the Republic.' Restore..." He paused, staring into space. "I didn't really listen to her back then. I was so focused on the fight, on finding a way to not just survive, but to win. She talked about a fire and I thought...fires destroy. And I want to destroy the First Order." Blinking, Poe looked back at Rey. "But she was thinking bigger than just a battle or even the war itself. She meant fire, like, something that brings light. That sustains. That's what the Republic was. What it needs to be again." Shaking his head, Poe sighed. "I'm not making any sense." 

  
Before he could pull his hand away, Rey tightened her grip, holding onto him. "You are making perfect sense." 

  
His chin touched his chest for a long moment. "I want to do this, Rey. For Bria." He lifted his head. "My parents fought...we fought..." The muscles in his jaw tightened as he vowed, "I'm gonna make damn sure that our daughter doesn't have to fight. And I can't do that here, working in the space yard where a sudden wind and a badly built roof might wipe me out."

  
With her free hand, Rey brushed a tear away. "I understand."

  
"But this is our home," he continued. "We built this house together, we made Bria here. My father, all of our friends are close by. " Poe shook his head again. "Coruscant isn't home." 

  
BB-8, who had an open comm channel with the nursery, beeped just then and amplified the sound of Bria waking with a whimper that slowly turned into a cry. 

  
Poe stood up just as Rey started to. "I'll go." He kissed her fingers before letting her hand go. "Finish your dinner before it gets cold." 

  
When he was gone, Rey put her hand to her mouth, collecting her thoughts. It didn't surprise her that the leaders had asked her husband to represent them in the new Senate. He was one of the few people in the colony who had actually been born on Yavin 4 and could claim to be native to the planet. Plus, Poe was a natural leader. People wanted to follow him, whether that was because the stories of his antics in the war were rapidly becoming legend or just because of the way he smiled, so full of confidence, bravado and charm. Whatever it was, Poe would be a good addition to the Senate. 

  
But while he was helping to rebuild the government and ensure that their daughter had a bright future, free of oppression and war, what would she be doing? 

  
It wasn't a question she'd been able to ask for nine months, while waiting to give birth. But now, in the scattered moments where Bria was asleep and Rey wasn't, she couldn't not think about it anymore. 

  
Over BB-8's comm channel, she heard Poe's voice over the sounds of Bria's cries. "Hey, Bria-bear," he soothed. "What's all the fuss about? Ah...yeah, I smell it now. All right, let's get you cleaned up, precious." 

  
Abandoning the table, Rey made her way into the nursery. Stopping in the doorway, she watched as her husband expertly swapped a dirty diaper for a clean one. 

  
Poe lifted Bria up from the changing table and held her out to Rey who moved forward in order to take her while Poe cleaned up. In her arms, Bria cooed as she grabbed a hank of Rey's hair and stuffed it in her mouth. 

  
"Coruscant will be our home," Rey said, easing her hair out of the baby's grip. He looked up. "Because we'll be there together. All of us." 

  
He dumped the dirty diaper and cleaning cloth into the chute that led to the laundry processing unit and leaned against the changing table, folding his arms. "I feel like I'm dragging you away from everything."

  
"No, it's my choice." Rey looked down at Bria as she gummed her fist in the absence of her mother's hair. "Plus...I have my own reasons, too." He frowned until she continued, "I'm not a leader, not like you are. But I am a teacher. A guardian." 

  
"A Jedi," he said with no small amount of pride.

  
"Luke was wrong. The universe needs the Jedi. The Force is the balance, but the Jedi play a part in that." She put her cheek on Bria's soft head. "I already know she'll need training."

  
Poe's arms fell to his sides as he stood up straighter. "You're sure?" 

  
She held their daughter tighter as she nodded, a tear escaping her eye. "And she isn't alone. There are people out there who need guidance. Coruscant was the home of the Jedi--and it could be again." 

  
"It will be again," Poe said firmly.

  
Rey smiled through her tears. "You build Bria a better world. And I'll protect it." 

  
Walking to his wife, Poe captured her lips in a kiss that left them both breathless. Between their bodies, Bria reached out and grabbed at her mother's shirt, tugging hard enough to break the kiss that was distracting her parents. 

  
"Hungry again?" Poe guessed.

  
Rey nodded. Stepping back, she headed for the rocking chair by the window, already loosening her top. Poe backed up to the door, but Rey called to him. "Stick around, Senator, and you might get lucky when she's asleep." 

  
Poe walked to the wide windowsill and sat down. "Dishes can definitely wait." 

  
Once Bria was settled at her breast, Rey reached for his hand and Poe took it, clasping it between his own as the sun disappeared for another night and the stars came out to watch over them all. 

  
****

  
Fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of the amazing comments on this story. I can't tell you how much each and every one of them has meant to me, especially on the days when I just didn't feel like writing. 
> 
> Speaking of motivation, I've spent a lot of time listening to Samuel Kim, a musical engineer who has remixed many Star Wars themes into even more lyrical and epic pieces. I spent all of this chapter on his remix of The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker trailer music, a link to which is below. I recommend anything by him.
> 
> https://youtu.be/o1kW1iCfPvQ
> 
> Also, there is another story in this series coming. Yeah...they're not through talking to me yet...


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